Monday, February 15, 2016

Snowmobiling The Continental Divide Trail; Or, Return To Green River Lakes, 2016

Weather forecasts suggested that the full force of the El Nino was approaching--warmer and drier weather in the northern Rockies--and that we had better do our favorite rides sooner than later. Thus we drove the hundred miles or so from Alpine north through Jackson and east to Togwotee Pass, in the heart of the great Continental Divide Trail system, and eventually to the Warm Springs parking lot we frequented last year, near the Line Shack. There appeared to be several feet of snow all around, except for the southern exposures, and the grooming was great, as usual. So at the first opportunity, with blue skies and temps in the 30s, we headed off onto our all-time favorite ride, the fifty or so miles to the Green River Lakes campground and the view of Square Top and its neighbors towering over the lakes. The route takes you past a national elk refuge, and on the way back we were treated to the feeding of the elks. (See YouTube videos noted below). The next day, Saturday, we did a seventy mile ride in the middle part of the CDT system, but by then the weather was beginning to deteriorate, warmer but ferociously windy, and we decided it was time to get off the mountain and down to Dubois, our refuge at just about this same time last year. Apologies for duplicates of pix I took last year in http://roadeveron.blogspot.com/2015/02/snowmobiling-continental-divide-trail-5.html and others.
Approaching the Wind River Range from the north
















We're going to save Kinky Creek for the summer
















Arriving at the forest service campground; our third visit in a
year

















The lower lake
















And Squaretop
















We've ridden past the elk refuge many times in past years, but
never once saw them getting fed; click to enlarge and you'll see
two people on a horse-drawn sled pitching hay at the elk, some
of whom nearly stampede to get at it


















Thus
















And thus; the video, done for our grand-daughter, is on YouTube
at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCIryLlJFxA

















Last look, for a while, at a favorite place

1 comment:

Tawana said...

Looks beautiful out there. Glad you are still having fun!